Sonae

Sonae Group, headquartered in Portugal, operates retail hypermarkets under the well-known Continente brand. The organisation serves the Portuguese market through a network of physical stores complemented by integrated digital services. These digital offerings include an online shopping platform, systems for issuing electronic tax receipts, and a customer loyalty card programme, creating a omnichannel retail experience for consumers. The Continente brand represents a significant presence in Portugal's grocery and general merchandise sector, with the group managing both the physical retail infrastructure and the supporting technology ecosystem that enables services beyond in-store purchases.

On March 30, 2022, Sonae Group experienced a cyberattack that specifically targeted its commercial websites and in-store digital services. The incident caused disruptions to the online shopping platform, the functionality for issuing tax receipts, and the customer loyalty card system. Despite these digital service outages, physical retail locations remained fully operational, with standard cash and card payment processing continuing without interruption. The company's internal IT teams immediately commenced an investigation into the attack and undertook efforts to restore all affected digital services to normal operation. During the initial phase of the response, there was no evidence identified to suggest that any customer data had been compromised. The event highlighted the group's reliance on interconnected digital systems to support its broader retail operations while demonstrating that core physical retail functions could persist independently during a cyber incident.